Books for Belonging 📚

I am so proud to have been working for AmazeWorks for two years to bring belonging to life for children and adults of all identities and lived experiences. One way we champion belonging for all is through our anti-bias Elementary Curriculum, which uses picture books to guide regular, intentional conversations about identity, difference, and bias with children.

Growing up, my mom loved finding books with my name in the title. I read books like When Sophie Gets Angry–Really Really Angry… by Molly Bang and thought, Sophie is just like me. We shared the same name. We both lived with a father, mother, sister, and cat. We had blue eyes and loved climbing trees.

I saw a lot of mirrors of my own identity in the books I read. But not every child saw people just like them in their books. Not everyone could find their name in the title or see their families represented. AmazeWorks changes that. 

AmazeWorks book boxes introduce children to characters like Aidan in When Aidan Became a Brother, a transgender child who helps his parents prepare for the arrival of a new baby; or Unhei (Oon-hay) in The Name Jar, who moves from Korea to the US and fears her classmates won’t be able to pronounce her name; or Faizah in The Proudest Blue, who admires her older sister’s choice of a blue hijab to wear on their first day of school.

This year, AmazeWorks is hoping to raise $15,000 to bring #BooksForBelonging into the classrooms of students across Minnesota and the US. Your donation will be matched dollar for dollar up to $10,000, so your gift will have 2x the impact!

Nationwide, book bans and censorship strip children of reading important books like these about children across identities and lived experiences. AmazeWorks is committed to sharing these identity-affirming stories. Help me bring belonging to life with AmazeWorks today by donating to our campaign! 

Thank you for your support,
Sophie ❤️